17 JANUARY: MV Arctic Sunrise departs Ushuaia, southern Argentina

22 JANUARY: Arrive King George Island (KGI)

Activities: Examine penguin colonies which have declined dramatically in response to dramatic sea and air temperature increases, look at glacier retreat and conduct station inspections, Bellingshausen (Russia) and Presidente Frei/Teniente Marsh (Chile)

Bellingshausen was established in 1968, just prior to the construction of the nearby Chilean station, Frei/Marsh. Its 17 buildings are scattered over a large area, intermixed with those of Frei. Bellingshausen suffers from inadequate logistical and financial support, often lacking supplies of foodstuffs, clothing and safety equipment. Greenpeace has severely criticised both stations in the past--Bellingshausen for its appalling waste disposal practices, and Frei for the environmental damage caused by the construction of a large airstrip and ongoing fuel spillage. Russia is one of the three nations still to ratify the Antarctic Treaty Environment Protocol, which would protect Antarctica from such problems.

23-24 JANUARY: Admiralty Bay, King George Island

Activities: Talk with US scientists working on long term penguin monitoring, talk to Polish and Brazilian scientists, inspect Polish and Brazilian bases.

Comandante Ferraz (Brazil) was constructed in 1984. Around 25 people live at the station in summer, 15 in winter. Several scientific programmes are run from the station, including ozone hole displacement, the mass balance of glaciers (studies of the balance between ice build-up due to precipitation and loss through calving from glaciers) and ice coring (ancient ice contains information from which the history of Antarctic climate change and pollution can be reconstructed).

Poland opened its only Antarctic Base, Arctowski, in 1977. It houses around 15 people year-round. Scientists at the base study geomorphology, geophysics, zoology and botany.

Next to the Polish station is a Site of Special Scientific Interest where a US team led by Dr.Wayne Trivelpiece of Montana State University have been monitoring penguin populations for many years.

26 JANUARY: Esperanza (Argentina), Hope Bay, tip of Antarctic Peninsula Activities: Inspect station, visit penguin colony, talk to scientist.

Esperanza is a year-round station run by the Argentine army, opened for permanent operation in 1953. It usually houses several families, who are stationed at Esperanza to help reinforce Argentina's territorial claim and are usually the wives and children of military officers. The station therefore includes a school, chapel and radio station. Behind the station is a major gentoo penguin colony.

Overnight: Sail to James Ross Island, west of Antarctic Peninsula

27-29 JANUARY: James Ross Island, Seymour Island

Activities: Examine Larsen Ice Shelf by boat and helicopter (weather permitting), sail around/fly over James Ross Island, inspect Marambio Base (Argentina), interview scientists.

James Ross Island was until recently connected to the mainland by a permanent ice shelf. This shelf has now collapsed. If conditions permit, we will attempt to circumnavigate James Ross Island -- possibly the first time this has ever been done. The Argentinian Marambio Station is located on Seymour Island in the Weddell Sea and was opened in 1969. The station is operated by the Argentine Air Force and is dominated by a 1,100m year-round airstrip and C-130 Hercules supply aircraft. In the late 1980s, Greenpeace reported thousands of drums and debris strewn around the station and considerable local erosion. Our latest information is that, despite promises to clean this up, the problem remains.

30-31 JANUARY: Larsen Ice Shelves A and B

Activities: Examine ice shelves, research programme, interview scientists.

We will attempt to sail to the new area of collapsed and calving ice and expect to find plumes of ice extending many kilometres out to sea. We will fly over the Larsen B Ice Shelf to see the huge rifts and fractures in the ice that have recently become visible in satellite photos.

In 1986, more than 11,000 sq. km of the Larsen Ice Shelf and 11,500 sq. km of the Filchner Ice Shelf broke off into the Weddell Sea. At the same time, about 1,600 sq. km of the Thwaites Tongue broke away. While these events were not necessarily outside the bounds of natural calving rates, the total ice mass discharged from these events was three to four times the annual Antarctic snow accumulation.

In February 1995, a giant iceberg, the size of Luxembourg (2,600 sq. km, and 77 km long) calved off the Larsen Ice Shelf, and-- perhaps more significantly--a large tongue of ice that had connected the mainland with nearby James Ross Island also disappeared. According to BAS scientists, this provided more evidence that the recent higher than usual summer temperatures were to blame. BAS glaciologist, Dr David Vaughan, stated that "There is no doubt that the climate on the Antarctic Peninsula has warmed significantly over the past few decades. What we are seeing now are changes only just working through to glaciers and ice sheets."

Larsen B, to the south of Larsen A, is now showing signs of rapid retreat. The viability of ice shelves is related to the -5oC mean annual isotherm line which has shifted southward in recent decades as the air temperatures have warmed.

4-5 FEBRUARY: Palmer Station (US) and Torgersen Island

Activities: Visit Palmer Station, talk to scientists.

Palmer is located at Gamage Point on Anvers Island. The station was built in 1970 and has housing for around 35 people. Greenpeace has visited this station several times in the past. Its main research focus is biology. In 1989, the Argentine resupply and tourist ship, Bahia Paraiso, ran aground and sank, spewing diesel and other light fuel over the rich marine biology of the area. This accident, occurring within a month of the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska, was one of the key factors leading to the agreement to ban mining in Antarctica.

Activities: Visit Torgersen Island, examine penguin and seal colonies, talk to scientists.

American researchers have blamed the contracting winter sea-ice around the Antarctic peninsula, monitored closely since 1970 and apparently associated with rising sea and air temperatures, for the dramatic decline in Adelie penguin numbers. According to US scientist, Dr Bill Fraser, studies of penguins on Torgersen Island show declines in Adelie numbers and the establishment of a colony of chinstrap penguins. He believes that the presence of chinstraps this far south is an indication of the warming trend.

In addition, there has been a recent increase in both elephant seal and fur seal numbers (respectively 300% and over 1000% increase in last 20 years). There is controversy as to whether increases in populations are due to climatic changes or to a recovery from previous sealing and whaling in the region. It is less controversial that the decreasing range of these species is likely to be due to temperature changes.

6 FEBRUARY: Vanadskiy (ex-UK base Faraday , now Ukraine), Galindez Island

Activities: Visiting the base, measuring ocean temperatures.

Galindez Island has seen a significant increase (25%) of native flowering plants, because as ice melts it exposes soil which is colonised by plants. Scientists have noted an extremely rapid one-metre reduction in the thickness of the ice cap in just 15 years (1973-88).

Greenpeace has visited this station several times before it was transferred from UK to Ukraine operation. The Ukraine cannot accede to Environment Protocol until it formally enters into force and therefore is not yet bound by its rules. Under the UK, this station undertook significant atmospheric research, and is where the ozone hole was discovered. It also kept tidal gauge measurements that comprise the longest continual data set in the region, thus contributing to documentation of changing sea levels under climate change.

8-10 FEBRUARY: Marguerite Bay

Activities: Measuring ocean temperature, helicopter flights over Stonington Island (old photo records show a former snow bridge which has now permanently disappeared), talk to British Antarctic Survey scientists about their work, visit Rothera (UK) and San Martin (Argentina). Visit British biological study site on Leone Island where scientists are investigating the effects of rising temperatures and rising levels of ultraviolet radiation.

Rothera was established in 1975, and is located on Adelaide Island in Marguerite Bay. A large scientific research programme in summer swells the station to around 100, while a small team of around 15 maintains the station over winter. A controversial 900- metre hard-rock airstrip was constructed in 1989/90. When we arrive, they will have just completed major construction of new laboratories.

11-12 FEBRUARY: Wordie and Wilkins Ice Shelves

Activities: Fly over collapsing ice shelves.

Ice shelves along the coast of the Peninsula are extremely sensitive to even small changes in temperature, and comparison of satellite images of the Antarctic coast shows substantial changes in ice volume in coastal areas. In 1991, British Antarctic Survey published satellite images of the rapid disintegration of the Wordie Ice Shelf, and suggested that recent warm temperatures in the Antarctic Peninsula region might be to blame. More than 1,300 sq km of the Wordie Ice Shelf have disappeared since 1966. To the south is the Wilkins Ice shelf, a huge shelf also vulnerable to collapse.

15 FEBRUARY: Arrive Ushuaia, Argentina

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